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Individual members, one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly. If prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith.
If service, in his serving. Or he who teaches, in his teaching. Or he who exhorts, in his exhortation. He who gives, he give with liberality. And he who leads, he lead with diligence. And he who shows mercy, do it with chilferness.
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good, and be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Giving preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind in diligence, but in a fervent spirit serving the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, persevering in tribulation. Be devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice.
Weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another, and do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation, and never pay back evil for evil to anyone.
Respect what is right in the sight of all men. And if possible, so as far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. And never take your own revenge, beloved. But leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine, and I will repay, says the Lord.
But if your enemy is hungry, you feed him. If he is thirsty, you give him drink. For in doing so, you will heap up coals on his head, burning coals on his head. And do not be overcome by evil, but overcome the evil with the good.
Okay, we're gonna go back up to verse nine. This is kind of where Andy left off in the middle of Timbo, going back up to verse nine. It says, let love be without hypocrisy. Well, what does it mean to let our love not be without hypocrisy?
Anybody wanna give a commentary on that? I'm gonna shut this door. Andy said it last week, don't be a fake. Don't be fake. Well, what does fake love look like?
What's it look like? It's a love that you love for others to see, but it's not heartfelt. It's not done out of a right spirit.
Yeah, it's an act. And that's what the word hypocrite is. It's actually, that's right. It's a false face. It's wearing a mask so that other people can say, oh, look, that guy actually cares, but in his heart, he doesn't.
He doesn't really care. He cares what other people think about him more so than he cares about the individual. And it says, oh, poor, what is evil? Well, that basically hate evil. Whatever God hates, hate it.
Cling to what's good. Well, clinging to what good is clinging to whatever is holy and perfect and right in the sight of the Lord. And it says, be devoted to one another in brotherly prayer. I mean, brotherly love, which Andy went over last week.
And then you get to give preference to one another. And this is gonna be the one for today, and then in verse 16. To give preference to one another. Now, in looking at what the word preference, because we know what the one another part is, but preference.
And it is a, it's an odd word to, in the original language, because it has three different meanings in its semantic range. One says to give someone, let someone lead. The other is to let one teach. So I went with the latter part of the third one, which was to give place to that someone.
So in the sense of give preference, we're to basically let someone, their needs be more important than ours. And it's demonstrated as you get down to the end about getting preference to, when he says, hey, if someone's hungry, what do you do?
You feed them. That's giving preference to someone. I think it is interesting that as you get to the, through the end of, or the beginning of verse 11, it basically gives a description of what it is to love one another, to give preference to one another, and to be devoted to one another.
Because here it is, it says, don't lag behind in diligence, but have a fervent spirit. That's how we're to be to one another. It says, serving the Lord. Well, serving the Lord is loving one another. It is being devoted to one another.
It's giving preference to one another. It also tells us that we should rejoice in hope. Well, how do we rejoice in hope? We're thankful when we see someone being prosperous. That doesn't always mean financially, but when we see someone doing good, we should be thankful and giving hope.
When they're persevering, when they're going through tribulation, what should we be doing? That's right, come alongside. Solomon says, it's better that two walk alone. I mean, two walk together than one walk alone, because if one falls, there's nobody there to pick him up.
And it also talks about a three-cord rope is not easily broken. So it's easier if we're living this life together with one another. It says, and be devoted in prayer. What does it mean to be devoted in prayer to one another?
It means we're to be devoted in prayer to one another. That means we have to be intimately involved in one another's life, doesn't it? If I want to know what's going on in Sue's life, what do I got to do?
That's right, I got to open my mouth and ask her. Whether that be call, go by, see, whatever, I have to be intimately involved with some part of her life to know what her needs are and how to pray for them.
It goes on to say, and contributing to the needs of the saints. Once again, how are we going to know what the needs of the saints are? You got to be with them. You understand that this is church life.
This is being part of a local assembly, and that local assembly is just not us meeting together to gather at 9 .30 on Sunday and at 10 .30 on the preaching time in the local assembly. It's more than that.
It's doing life together. Now, we all don't do life together the same way, okay? Obviously, I spend more time talking to Keith and Andy than I do probably anybody in this room, but that's just how God has wired us together.
But we do live life together. We know what's going on in one another's lives so that we can rejoice in hope, that when we're struggling with things in our life, we can persevere in tribulation together, and we're devoted to pray for one another and pray for one another's wives and their family.
Sure. Now, there are parts that we don't have to know everything that's going on in everybody's life. I'm gonna tell you right now, there's some things that go on in my life that I just don't trust telling anybody else, and I don't make any bones about that.
You know? I'm not gonna tell some people what I struggle with in my life. Just not gonna do it. Loose lips sink ships. So there's a time to use some discernment on who and what you tell what. But yeah, you're right.
But at least we should have enough, know that if someone's struggling in some physical need that the body in and of itself can help, we should be into being involved in that person's life or in that family's life to help them.
It says, practicing hospitality. Hospitality's a gift. So here it is, we're all called to practice hospitality. How do we do that? What are some actual demonstrations of practicing hospitality to one another?
Sure. Yeah, that's probably the easiest one. Yeah, what else? Although hospitality is much more than just being at someone's home. I agree with that, though. Making our homes available. What else? What's that?
I can't hear you. Sure. Yeah, yeah, going and seeing those who are either shut in, sick, haven't made it in a while, for whatever reason. You know, that's true. What else? Sure. Yep, any kind of physical need is practicing hospitality.
But even when we do that, we're to do it in love to one another and serving the Lord. See, in that paragraph, I don't know whose Bibles are separated in paragraphs, but mine is from nine to 13. That's a paragraph, and that is a demonstration of how we should interact with one another in daily life.
Then you go to verse 14. Bless those who persecute you. Where does that come from? Where does that quote, have we heard that before? That's it, the Sermon on the Mount, the first sermon the Lord Jesus Christ ever preached.
He preached, bless those who persecute you and pray for those who wrongly misuse you. Why should we do that? If someone's persecuting us, why should we bless them? No, we're commanded to not hate. That's right.
But why do we have to bless them? That's right, it's demonstrating that you're not hating them. That's right, it's the reaction of, hey, I don't hate that person. Okay, well, are you praying for them?
Are you blessing them? Are you seeking to meet a need that they may have? Are you being hospitable to them? And then it says rejoice when those who rejoice, which means, hey, we're just supposed to have, when we see someone rejoicing, we should be happy.
We should not be envious of someone's doing well. We should rejoice and be thankful that the Lord has blessed them. And here's a difficult one. Weep when those who weep. That's difficult because you certainly don't wanna look like a hypocrite when that, and that's very easy to do because you go, all right, I should be upset.
Am I gonna put on my upset face because this person's upset? So how do we weep with those who weep? How do we do that? Empathy, being very empathetic, putting ourself in that person's position and trying to understand, okay, where are they at?
How would I want somebody to respond to me if I was in this position? And we all, in a position of sadness, tribulation, whether it be a loss of a family member, loss of job, surgery, anything physical, we want someone to reach out and help us.
And we should reach out to those people in the way that we want to be helped. Yes, ma 'am. You don't have to raise your hand.
You can just speak up. One of my good friends who's recently, she lost her husband to COVID and then her dad next week and then her brother next week. And I was speaking to her a couple of nights ago and she was like, you know, when it's not like directly with us, you know, our lives go on, but they're still stuck in their grief.
They're still grieving, hurting. And she was like, her heart breaks in waves. And then when I think about her, about a need to the Lord, because I just feel stuck in grief. And then so I said, Lord, she feels stuck in grief.
And then I wanted to remind her, God didn't leave you as an orphan. You're not an orphan. God sent you another comforter, the Holy Spirit. He is there. And I don't want to give you pat words because I know that you know this, but your grief is clouding your thinking.
And so I'm going to bow the knee and I'm going to pray and I ask God just help me to remember, because it's not directly my pain, but it's hers and she's my friend. Help me to remember my life can move forward, but she's still in that grief, grief like that.
And so when I was looking at the scripture, weep with those who weep, mourn with those who mourn. I'm asking God, let my heart, let my heart stay tender with her heart so that I can walk this,.
So that I can walk this out with her. And so. Yeah, I think sometimes, because we are without words to what to say. And honestly, sometimes I think it's better that we, and the way that Ms. Candy said weeks ago, we should just keep our mouth shut.
We should, sometimes, you know, what's good? Just grab that person and hold that person. That is the best demonstration of love that we can give is just put our arms around that person for whatever it is and hug them and let them know that we're here.
If they need to vent, oh, if they, whatever it is, I'm here. You wanna swing, swing. If you just wanna rattle off whatever's on your mind, we're here for that. But sometimes, yeah, just being quiet and just being there is the best thing.
It says, then now here's the other one another for this week. Be of the same mind toward one another and do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly and do not be wise in your own estimation.
It says, be of the same mind toward one another. Should we be like-minded? Sure, we should be like-minded theologically. We should be like-minded doctrinally. That certainly will help us as the family of God work with one another, but it doesn't mean that we have to cross all of our theological Ts and dot all of our doctrinal Is in order for us to be a family.
But we do have to have the same mind towards one another because as Andy said last week, the one another is a reciprocal pronoun, okay? That's what it is. I'm gonna give something to you and that is to be returned.
I'm not doing it to you to get something in return, but it's to be to one another back and forth, back and forth. And when I read that, reminded me of the passage over in Philippians and if you guys wanna turn over there, you can.
It's in Philippians chapter two. And I'll begin at verse one in chapter two. It says, therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent to one purpose.
You see it right there? That's telling us how we're to respond as like-mindedness and be of the same mind to one another. It says we're to maintain the same love or to be united in spirit and our intent is to be of one purpose.
Well, what should be our united in the spirit mean? Which how should we be united in spirit? Should be united in spirit as to loving the Lord and loving one another. Two greatest commandments, love God, love one another.
And we're intent in one purpose. And what's that one purpose? Andy said this, I think it was last week or maybe it was the week before. What's the one purpose we're to do? Glorify the Lord. That's the goal.
Not to come to some agreement that we can agree to disagree. No, no, no. We're to, if we're focused, like Mike said, the triangle in marriage works the same way as we work as a family of God. That triangle, if our sole purpose is two individuals or the family of God working to serve the Lord, we will get along and we will serve one another because the goal is to and the intent is to be in one purpose and to glorify the Lord.
And in verse three, it says, do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourself. That's tough sometimes. That's tough. Because by and large, who are we looking out for?
Number one, number one. It says, and do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others. Hey, and you notice it didn't say, don't look out for your own interest at all.
But what did it say? But also for those interests of others. It says, and have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who although he existed in the form of God, he didn't regard himself equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men, being found in the appearance as a man.
He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. And for this reason also, God highly exalted him and bestowed upon him a name which is above every name and a name in which every knee will bow of those which are on heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
So the attitude that was in, the mind that was in Christ Jesus, that's what's to be in us. Do we have the ability to do that perfectly? No, we don't. We still have indwelling sin that we struggle with, but what's the goal?
Christ's likeness. The goal is to have that mind which was in Christ. And that mind, the theme here is the overarching theme of Christ's like-mindedness was everybody else was more important than him.
It was very evident. Everybody else was more important than him. Because in, it says that in while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. And Jesus didn't have to, he didn't have to do that.
It was a willful act of submission to the Father that he made us, the believer, more important than himself. But ultimately, what was more important than us? It goes back to that being devoted in one intent, the glory of the Father.
The glory, Jesus' most important thing was to bring who? Glory. His Father. His Father, and in doing so, he emptied himself, and he took the mind of humility, which we should have. It says that although he existed in the form of God, he did not regard himself equal with God.
Was Jesus God of very God? You better believe he was, and if you don't believe that, you're not a Christian. Jesus Christ was the God-man. He was fully God, fully man. As he was lying in that manger, as he was nursing on Mary's breast, that was the very God of God that was holding all things together by the power of his word.
That is astounding to me. That the very things that he created, the very tree that he caused to grow, the very hay that he caused to sprout up out of the ground, he was lying in that manger. The very cotton or whatever was used to wrap him in swaddling clothes was the very thing that he caused to grow and to be harvested, to cause the rain to fall and the sun to come on it to grow.
It says that he didn't regard that as something to be grasped. How many times was Jesus that we know of in Scripture persecuted in word or deed? I mean, you just go through the Gospels. How many times did they pick up stones to stone him as he stood before Pilate?
And he said, hey, you don't have the power to let you go. Jesus didn't say, hold on a second, Jack. You know who I am. I'm God. Oh, what did he do? He said, no, what you've got's been given to me, given to you by my father.
That's what he said. And did he have the prerogative to say, you know what? I'm the man. He sure did. But he didn't. Because he didn't come in this world at that time to take that and put that at the forefront.
The forefront of Jesus coming into the world was to show his humility. Look, from the time we talk about Jesus's passion being the last week of his life. And that is true. That was the culmination of the 33 years and all that the Old Testament had brought forward.
But here it is. Jesus was under persecution and humility from the time he was birthed. I mean, he subjected himself to weariness. He subjected himself to hunger. He subjected himself to thirst. He subjected himself to being out in the elements.
Because what did he say? You know, foxes have holes and lions have dens, but the son of man doesn't even have a place to lay his head. So, Jesus didn't come into the world to demonstrate that he was God of very God.
First and foremost, he came to demonstrate the humility of the son of God to come in to be in the likeness of men. And then it says here in verse eight, although I don't really care for the construction of the way this is, it just sounds kind of weird and y 'all may disagree, but it says being found in the appearance as a man.
I know that's kind of a trend. Does anybody else say something different? You got the old King James Version, don't you mind? Yeah, anybody else got another translation? Yeah, it just sounds in the appearance of a man, almost like it wasn't a man.
You know what I mean? It was like a facade. No, no, he was flesh and bone. Fashioned in a man's actually probably a better way of translating that, just as he fashioned Adam in the garden. Can't, yeah, you're trying, yeah, they're trying to convey the original.
I understand, it just sounds a little weird. Correct. So it says, and he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even to death on the cross. Jesus, the mind that was in Christ was, look, I'm going to submit myself to the humiliation of humanity.
I'm gonna submit myself to being humiliated as the God man. And then I'm going to humiliate myself by being put on a cross, the most crude death, and I'm gonna bear the sins of my people. That's the mind that was to be, not that we should bear the sins of the people, but that we should have that mind that was in Christ that, you know what?
Others are far more important than ourself. Doesn't mean we don't take care of ourself. It doesn't mean we don't take care of our family. So let's don't go to one extreme. Let's say we should look out for one another.
We have to. This is our family. If you have unbelieving real family members, do you realize the family of God is closer to you than your blood relative? Because this is who we're going to spend all of eternity with.
So if you don't like me now, ha ha. You're going to be seeing me. I haven't been big. You can get away from me. But this is who we're going to be with forever. So we better learn to get along with one another now.
Especially, it actually says that. Yeah, do good to all men. Especially, those of the household of faith. That's right. Yeah. Get along. Ha ha ha ha. So let's go back to Romans 12. And back at verse 16.
That's being a sane mind, one toward another. And then here it is again. It gives us a descriptions how we're, what type of mind we're to have towards one another. Don't be haughty in mind. Haughty means proud.
Basically, don't be conceited. Don't think of yourself as better than someone else. It says, but associate with the lowly. Associate with those who are less fortunate than you. Associate with those who are of a mind of humility.
And then it says, don't be wise in your own estimation. How many people have you met that you go, that guy really thinks he's smart, but he talks out both sides of his mouth? We've all met those people.
Matter of fact, there was a guy I've known for probably 25 years. I knew him before I got saved. And after I got saved, I sought him out to let him know that God had changed my life. And he was always persistent to come and talk to me about the Lord.
And I appreciate that. Once I got saved, he was at a church and he was leading at that church. And I said, well, we were talking about church matters. And I said, hey, who at the church over there are you look at for spiritual guidance?
Or who do you look at, look up to over there? Who's the most theologically sound-minded person? And that joker said him. I was like, you gotta be kidding me. And the most humble. And I was like, yeah, if I would have said who's the most humble, he probably would have said that.
I was like, dude, you gotta be kidding me. I said, so you're like the test of doctrinal clarity? He says, well, I mean, I'm the most theologically sound. I was like, hey man, that's such a prideful statement.
I said, so I guess you're the best man of faith there too. Well, I might be. I was like, oh my goodness. We were on the phone, so I was glad. Maybe I would have just heard buzz. But yeah, I was just taken back that he would say that.
And he said, well, who? And I begin to name people in the church here. I think of Jack as somebody who is a man of faith. You're talking about a man who's been saved longer than I am old. If I struggle with faith or struggle with persevering, I can look to Jack.
I can look to men who have had, in your case, Mike, large family. Hey, if I struggle with rearing children, I can look to Mike. He can tell me how to whip him into shape. He's had experience. So I look at men like Andy and Keith, who were in the areas of theology and doctrine are far greater than I am.
So it was just a statement of, when he said that, that's what I thought. Don't be pride or haughty or wise in your own estimation. Because what he's done is he has set the standard for himself, and now everybody's got to try to reach up to that.
And I'll be honest with you, wherever he goes, it's that with the leaders, even when he serves with us, and that's why. Well, yeah, and let's just say, let's just say there is the most theologically-minded person in the church.
I can rest assure you, if that person is the most theologically and doctrinally sound person within the church, he would be obeying that scripture right there. Don't be wise in your own estimation. Well, we'll stop there, because, well, no, let's go on.
Because it's all, it's one section. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Somebody does you wrong, should you repay that person with evil? Well, of course not. Is that difficult to do? Yeah, it is. Because our immediate response is to be vengeful.
That's part of our humanity. That's part of, honestly, technically speaking, that's part of the attributes and being image-bearers of God, that God has put within us the desire to see justice, okay? Problem is, you and I can't dispense that perfectly.
We dispense it in such a way that it would not be, it certainly wouldn't be holy, and it wouldn't be godly. Because we're responding out of anger, not out of justice and righteousness. That's why we're not to repay evil for evil.
God will do that, and he goes on to say that. Look, vengeance is mine, I will repay. Look, everything that somebody does evil in this life, either it's gonna be covered under the blood of Christ, or God will punish them.
It's not for me to do that, although it would make my flesh feel good if I could. We're not to be the ones to dispense that. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. Now, respect what is right. First, we have to, what is right.
We have to define what is right. Because if we let society right now determine what's right, then we've gotta respect a bunch of stuff that's immoral. We gotta respect a bunch of stuff that's heretical.
We'd have to respect a bunch of stuff that's eclectic and ecumenical, meaning everybody's working the same direction, all their, everybody's trying to get to God, there's just many avatars in which to go.
And that's not what it's saying. That right has to be defined by what Jesus says. When you judge righteously, you use the righteous judgment, and that's God's word. That's what we have to respect. And then we respect that in the sight of all men.
That's even the unbeliever, just to let you know. Now, we may have to correct them of what right is, but if we're to respect them, they are, hey, unbelievers are still image bearers of God. You understand that?
We can disagree on social matters, political matters, religious matters, but I'm to still give that person respect because he is or she is an image bearer of the Lord. And if possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
Look, we're to live with one another, all men. I don't say just within the church, all men. We're not to be contentious buck and goats to everybody that doesn't agree with us. We're to try to live with them in harmony.
If we can have a conversation with the unregenerate on a level which is not heated, you understand it. We have an open line of communicating the gospel without being cut off at the knees before it ever starts.
Never take your own revenge. Back to that, don't take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, you feed him.
But if he is thirsty, you give him drink. For in so doing, you will heap coals, burning coals on his head. And do not overcome evil with evil, but overcome evil with good. In other words, we're to demonstrate the character and nature of God at all times.
We see somebody, our enemy, hungry, we should feed him. That's part of being at peace with all men. Think about this. You know, how many people did Jesus feed that were his enemy? We just, 3 John 6. You had 5 ,000 counted men that came there, and that's not including women and children.
And we immediately, our response is, oh, they were following Jesus, but you need to read the rest of the story. Fill their belly. That's all they wanted. And when Jesus went, however Jesus got over there, which I think he walked over there to the island, they woke up the next morning going, hey man, we're hungry.
Jesus ain't here. And what'd they do? They went all the way across the other side to get food. And Jesus called them out on it. He said, you didn't come here for me. You came here to get your belly full.
You don't want me. You want the benefit of me. And that's when Jesus said, if you're not willing to eat of my flesh and drink of my blood, you can have no part of me. And they said, well, we want to do the works of God.
He said, well, the work of God is that you believe. And it says they all turned away. Every one of them. And Jesus looked at his disciples and what did he say to them? Are you going to go too? You going to?
Where will we go? Yeah. That's it. So all those people that walked away were his enemies and he fed 5 ,000 plus. And he did it anyway, knowing that they were going to turn away. Look how gracious he was to, and we got to close.
Look how gracious he was to Judas. For three and a half years. And how many times does the scripture say him knowing that one of them was a devil? Jesus sending him out to feed the hungry. He even sent him out commissioned as to heal the sick and to cast out demons.
And he betrayed him. And Jesus loved him. It says that Jesus loved his disciples even to the end. That included Judas. All right. Any protests or demonstrations? Comments? What's that? Thank you, sir.
Anybody else? And that's hard. Because by nature, we look out for number one. I'm not saying we don't look out for ourself. I'm saying we need to take into account that there's people that are in far worse condition that need our help.
And we need to minister to them in whatever way that is, whether it be financially, spiritually, emotionally, sometimes it's just putting our arms around them and telling them that we care and love them.
So, all right. Lee, will you close us out in prayer, buddy?
Thanks for today and address rehearsal for heaven. Hmm. For the opportunities before us this day and we look forward to the preaching of your word in Christ's name, amen. Amen.